BYU-Idaho Radio · The Palisades Project Film
It’s hard to find something more soothing than the sounds of nature. The sounds of rushing rapids of a nearby river, birds chirping in trees, leaves blowing in the breeze.
Eastern Idaho and Wyoming are filled with environments akin to this one. Bridger-Teton, Hell’s Half-Acre, and Yellowstone National Park are just a few of the prominent locations locals or tourists can visit to get away from the city.
One area that stretches across the Idaho/Wyoming border is the Palisades Wilderness Study Area. However, the Wyoming Wilderness Association (WWA) says this protected land could be facing future conflicts.
To respond, they have created a film that highlights those conflicts that could be reaching the area.
“[The film] explores how, within the last few decades, a love for motorized and mechanized recreation has created a wave of opposition to the productions provided by the Wilderness Act of 1964,” said Peggie dePasquale, a co-producer for The Palisades Project, the film WWA is releasing next week.
The Wilderness Act of 1964 established the first wilderness areas in the country, and in 1984, U.S representatives passed the Wyoming Wilderness Act, which added even more protected areas to the state.
Now though, dePasquale said the popularity of motorized recreation is putting pressure on those protected areas. She said this act is important for her and WWA.
“Our mission is to protect Wyoming public wild lands, and the act of 1964 that established the Wilderness Preservation System across the country is one of the most important tools we have to uphold our mission, so this opposition that has arisen in the last couple of decades is really relevant to us and our work, and this film addresses that concept,” she said.
DePasquale said that just educating the public about the conflict isn’t enough.
“The call to action of this film is everyone who watches this film should come together and come up with a solution to protect this landscape,” she said.
The film premieres Friday, March 26. You can view the film on the day of its release, as well as find out more info about the project at palisadesproject.org.